JADON SANCHO’S STATS VS CHELSEA SHOW A NEED FOR IMPROVEMENT

Jadon Sancho has struggled with his form for Manchester United recently and his performance against Chelsea will do nothing to lift him from the mire. The winger was hauled off just after half time for Fred – a change that was in itself tactical but belied his manager’s displeasure at the Englishman’s performance. And Sancho’s stats over his 52-minute spell do not make for good reading at all.

For one thing, his pass completion was a poor 65% – essentially meaning one in every thing passes found an opponent. Usually known to be comfortable in tight spaces, that statistic belies Sancho’s unusually poor ball retention at Stamford Bridge. The fact that he also conceded possession ten times supports that viewing.

As Bruno Fernandes would be first to argue, accuracy isn’t everything when a player is trying to make things happen. But Sancho was bordering on non-existent as a creative force as well. He provided no key passes, had one failed crossing attempt, and played no long balls – it is difficult to excuse a lack of accuracy where invention is also absent. Aside from that, Sancho also completed zero dribbles, largely because he attempted none.

Sancho’s game against Chelsea lacked any kind of impact and it was no surprise to see him withdrawn. His below-par performances are particularly frustrating in light of his obvious talent and United fans will surely hope that Sancho can get back to his best before long. If he continues his game with how he played against Chelsea, the former Borussia Dortmund star could be risking his own place in Erik ten Hag’s team.

He needs to wake up and improve his game if he wants to remain a key starter on the Manchester United team. Otherwise, the Red Devils may even sign an attacker in January and that could affect his game time.